On Sale Date: June 2019
Writers: Paul Scheer & Nick Giovannetti
Artist: Todd Nauck
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Antonio Fabela & Rachelle Rosenberg
Editor: Darren Shaw
Assistant Editor: Danny Khazem
Senior Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski
Cover Artist: Gerardo Zaffino
Frank Castle, the Cosmic Ghost Rider, has infiltrated his family's home the day before they were murdered by posing as his Uncle Fredo. In the garage he is attacked by his younger counterpart, who knows he's lying about his identity. The brutal fight goes on until the older Frank transforms into Ghost Rider. The fight stops and older Frank produces a photo of him in World War 2 with Captain America and the Howling Commandos.
The story flashes back to Frank fighting in Normandy on D Day at the side of Captain America. This led to Frank being recruited by Nick Fury into the Howling Commandos. Using his terrifying appearance as the Ghost Rider, Frank convinces a captive Nazi officer to give up information on Baron Zemo's capture of Captain America and Bucky, including their location. The Commandos, including Frank disguised as the Red Skull, infiltrate Zemo's castle until their cover is blown and a battle breaks out. Captain America and Bucky, escaped from their captivity, aid the assault and then go on to their fateful rocket ride that ends with Captain America frozen in ice. Frank finishes his story by declaring that he was the person that killed Adolph Hitler with his Penance Stare, and that suicide was the cover story used to conceal the truth. While the younger Frank Castle doesn't quite believe "Fredo's" story, he enjoyed it enough to accept the older Frank and give him a beer. Meanwhile, in his home on the Moon, the Watcher looks into the future and is shocked to see what is to come, realizing that Castle must be stopped.
THE ROADMAP
Frank Castle, the Cosmic Ghost Rider, has infiltrated his family's home the day before they were murdered by posing as his Uncle Fredo. In the garage he is attacked by his younger counterpart, who knows he's lying about his identity. The brutal fight goes on until the older Frank transforms into Ghost Rider. The fight stops and older Frank produces a photo of him in World War 2 with Captain America and the Howling Commandos.
The story flashes back to Frank fighting in Normandy on D Day at the side of Captain America. This led to Frank being recruited by Nick Fury into the Howling Commandos. Using his terrifying appearance as the Ghost Rider, Frank convinces a captive Nazi officer to give up information on Baron Zemo's capture of Captain America and Bucky, including their location. The Commandos, including Frank disguised as the Red Skull, infiltrate Zemo's castle until their cover is blown and a battle breaks out. Captain America and Bucky, escaped from their captivity, aid the assault and then go on to their fateful rocket ride that ends with Captain America frozen in ice. Frank finishes his story by declaring that he was the person that killed Adolph Hitler with his Penance Stare, and that suicide was the cover story used to conceal the truth. While the younger Frank Castle doesn't quite believe "Fredo's" story, he enjoyed it enough to accept the older Frank and give him a beer. Meanwhile, in his home on the Moon, the Watcher looks into the future and is shocked to see what is to come, realizing that Castle must be stopped.
THE ROADMAP
Cosmic Ghost Rider made his final trip to the past in Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 5.
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| Face off! |
CHAIN REACTION
This series flashes back to World War 2 and produces its first genuinely decent issue.
I've been pretty down on this series so far, mainly because, well, its been terrible. I was expecting this issue to be more of the same: bad jokes, worse narration, annoying kids, and rehashed scenes from much better comics. This issue thankfully skips all of that and produces an actual story about the two Franks connecting through war and an surprisingly funny parody of Inglorious Basterds. There's nothing truly original about this comic, like its predecessors it trades off fondness for already familiar stories, but this one at least tells a complete story. What made the previous issues so irritating, well one of the reasons anyway, was that the writers believed sticking Frank into famous Marvel stories and framing it with bad jokes was the same as writing a story. It emphatically is not, but this issue at least makes a solid attempt at genuine storytelling. The comedy beats land for the most part, the stand out being the Red Skull disguise sequence.
The real meat of the issue comes at the beginning with the confrontation between the two Frank Castles. Its flagged up in the narration how different old Frank's outlook is from his younger incarnation, but it is really jarring to imagine them as the same man. That's not the fault of Scheer and Giovannetti, those elements of Cosmic Ghost Rider being so removed from the Punisher has been there since the character's introduction, and the way its flagged up is at least attempting to reconcile the differences. Of course, the fact that the Castle family framing sequence for this issue eschews the children in favor of a great fight scene helps a lot as well.
Todd Nauck steps back in as the artist for this issue and his work is definitely welcome after Nathan Stockman last issue. Nauck would seem to be too light an artist for a character like this, but it actually works really well. He sells all of the action sequences, especially the opening one in the garage, and I really enjoy his rendition of the Ghost Rider.
This issue worked by actually being a story about Cosmic Ghost Rider in history. It has its problems and it can't divorce itself from the issues around it, but on its own its not half bad.
I've been pretty down on this series so far, mainly because, well, its been terrible. I was expecting this issue to be more of the same: bad jokes, worse narration, annoying kids, and rehashed scenes from much better comics. This issue thankfully skips all of that and produces an actual story about the two Franks connecting through war and an surprisingly funny parody of Inglorious Basterds. There's nothing truly original about this comic, like its predecessors it trades off fondness for already familiar stories, but this one at least tells a complete story. What made the previous issues so irritating, well one of the reasons anyway, was that the writers believed sticking Frank into famous Marvel stories and framing it with bad jokes was the same as writing a story. It emphatically is not, but this issue at least makes a solid attempt at genuine storytelling. The comedy beats land for the most part, the stand out being the Red Skull disguise sequence.
The real meat of the issue comes at the beginning with the confrontation between the two Frank Castles. Its flagged up in the narration how different old Frank's outlook is from his younger incarnation, but it is really jarring to imagine them as the same man. That's not the fault of Scheer and Giovannetti, those elements of Cosmic Ghost Rider being so removed from the Punisher has been there since the character's introduction, and the way its flagged up is at least attempting to reconcile the differences. Of course, the fact that the Castle family framing sequence for this issue eschews the children in favor of a great fight scene helps a lot as well.
Todd Nauck steps back in as the artist for this issue and his work is definitely welcome after Nathan Stockman last issue. Nauck would seem to be too light an artist for a character like this, but it actually works really well. He sells all of the action sequences, especially the opening one in the garage, and I really enjoy his rendition of the Ghost Rider.
This issue worked by actually being a story about Cosmic Ghost Rider in history. It has its problems and it can't divorce itself from the issues around it, but on its own its not half bad.
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| Honestly the best bit in the entire series. |
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